


Branded

by British_Boy_Bum



Category: Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: British, F/M, Fandom, Fluff, Romance, Smut, tom hiddleston - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-15
Updated: 2014-05-11
Packaged: 2018-01-08 19:01:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1136262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/British_Boy_Bum/pseuds/British_Boy_Bum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In this futuristic society, at birth everyone is born with a tattoo. A tattoo that exactly one other person in the world is born with. Their soulmate.  Mick, a 20 year old girl from London has never believed in soul mates but when a certain actor unexpectedly stumbles into her life, could her opinion change?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Train

**Author's Note:**

> My friend and I got this idea one random night whilst watching sherlock.   
> I've never written or posted a fanfic online ever, so don't be too hard on me ^.^  
> Feedback is always good :D I love constructive criticism and new ideas!  
> my tumblr: british-boy-bum.tumblr.com

Chapter 1:

My head was throbbing. I could feel a dull ache blossoming behind my eyes, slowly expanding to the rest of my skull every time I blinked. I winced, and began massaging my temples, but the noisy train kept me from relaxing. It smelled like a mixture of gas, food, and strong perfume. I could hear a baby crying, and multiple sniffles and sneezes. I was in a cranky mood in which I noticed every single noise that every single person made, and it was driving me up the damn wall. All I wanted, was to be in my apartment in my warm bed with a nice cup of coffee so I could relax. I heard a rather loud cough, and I peered irritably out from under my hood at the african american woman sitting across from me. If she noticed me staring at her, she didn’t let on that she knew. I was suddenly distracted from the pain of my oncoming migraine, by her tattoo. Even though everyone was born with a mark, it never failed to amaze me how different the designs of each one were. This womans was particularly beautiful. It seemed to cover the entire left side of her face. It could have been bigger, stretched farther down her body perhaps, but she was bundled in a sweatshirt, down parka, and long pants, so I could only see the design on her face. It was odd, but intriguing. It looked like a tree blossoming. Maybe a cherry tree, or a willow tree. I was too far away and my head hurt too bad to try to focus on any details. Life was weird. It was truly astonishing how the design each person was born with was almost always different. Some were simple, and nearly invisible, while others stretched the length of a person's entire body. In my twenty short years of life, I had seen everything from a man covered head to toe with a dull black maze, to a friend from highschool having a tiny purple square no wider than a millimeter on her pointer finger. Some people even oriented the way they dressed and did their makeup, around their mark. Cliques and gangs were formed, based on the basic design or color of your tattoo. It occurred mostly in the teenage crowd, but there were people everywhere that did it. It was absolutely ridiculous, if you asked me. Why should people let a mark on their body, define who they were? It was just a design on your skin, it wasn’t supposed to make you act a certain way. It was like an all new form of racism.  
I could feel the train slowing to halt. Only two more stops until I could get off and walk the short distance to my apartment. My attention was suddenly drawn away from the woman, when i heard an obnoxiously loud gasp come from my left. I turned to look at the the person who had made the noise, and it was an old man. He was smiling.  
“Would you look at that,” he smirked. I turned my attention to where he was looking. A couple had just walked hand in hand onto the train. I didn’t notice anything at first, except how gorgeous the woman was. She had long black voluminous hair that had been curled perfectly, and bright blue eyes, smudged with black eyeliner. The red lipstick she was wearing brought out her tan complexion and high cheekbones, and she was wearing a short black dress with an A-line cut that hugged her perfect figure. She had three black dots that followed the perfect arch of her left eyebrow. A pang of envy surged through me. She looked like Megan Fox, an actress from decades ago. Why couldn’t I look like that? At first I thought the old guy was just being a pervert, and ogling over her beauty, until I took a look at the guy she was with. Whereas the girl was beautiful, he was nothing special. He was barely taller than his significant other, and awkwardly skinny. He was pale with a crooked nose, and dull brown eyes. Not to mention his eyebrows were too close together. OH, I thought to myself. His eyebrow! He had dots identical to the womans, above his left eyebrow. I now understood why the man had gasped. It wasn’t everyday, you saw two people with the same marks together. In fact, I had only seen it once before in my life. Exactly two people in the world were born with same tattoo, and they were theoretically supposed to be together.  
In school, every student was required to take a class on marks and the marking process, when they were 18. Basically what I had gotten out of the course, was that two people were born with the same mark, and those two people were supposed to be with the person that shared their mark. We learned that back in the early 2000s when the first marked babies were born, it had been a beautiful thing. It had been a rare thing. There had been numerous documentaries filmed, and an abundance of books written about people dedicating their entire lives to the search of finding their one true love. But where beautiful things go, destruction follows. Since nobody could explain the phenomena of the specific design each person was born with, people started going crazy. Religious groups thought it was the mark of the beast, and that the antichrist was coming  
As time went on, and more and more people were born with marks, it became less and less special, and more difficult to find said soulmate. TV producers began making game shows out of it, and celebrities who had large or obvious marks either had to conceal their tattoos, or have them removed completely in order to avoid bat shit crazy fans who simply got the mark of their favorite actor tattooed on them, and claimed they were soulmates. The system also had flaws. Some people with identical marks were born 40 or 50 years apart. There had even been cases where siblings, and people of the same sex had been born with the same tattoo. Now people kind of just disregarded that marks were meant to help you find your soulmate, and saw them simply as something that made you different.  
I was so busy staring at the couple, I nearly missed my stop.


	2. Familiar Faces

Chapter 2:

When i stepped into my apartment, all the lights were off, and my roommate, or flatmate as she would call it,  sat curled up on the couch with a package of oreos next to her and a mug in hand. Her bright blue eyes were glued to the large, thin, television.

“Wow,” I said, “You look like you’ve been very productive today.”  I smiled sarcastically. She looked up at me, with an unimpressed look on her face.

“Today was my day off, you better believe i’m gonna do nothing all day. How was work?” she questioned.

“Nothing special. same ol, same ol. I saw something interesting on the train, though.” I flopped down on the couch, yawning.

“Oh?” She said, offering me her mug full of tea.

I shook my head. “I don’t understand what’s so appealing about tea. It’s nothing special.”

“You’re  a Yank, you wouldn’t understand,” she said jokingly. I shook my head and laughed.

“Anyway,” I continued, “I saw a couple with matching marks on the train. It was weird. not something you see everyday.” I tied the strings on my sweater in a knot as i spoke.  She didn’t reply. I cleared my throat.  “Megan.” I snapped my fingers in front of her face. She was totally enveloped in the TV. “Did you hear anything i just said?”

“Uh.. yeah. Cool,” she said.  I sighed.  

“Okay, well since you’re boring i’m going to bed.”

“I’m sorry i just really love this movie,” she said, taking a sip of tea.

“What movie?” I asked.

“Thor. Everyone in it is so hot i can’t even handle myself. The plot is ok too i guess” she joked.

“Never seen it. Anyway, off to bed.” I got up and trudged to my room. Just as i was about to close the door, Megan yelled my name. I peeked my head out of the door and raised my eyebrows at her.

“Mick! I forgot to tell you, My editor asked me to go to this place tomorrow, and take some pictures of it and the people in it. It’s a club in downtown London. We’re running a story on it. This club is supposed to be poppin, with lots of celebrities and stuff, and we get in for free since i work for the magazine. So we’re going. Don’t even try to argue with me! Just thought i would let you know!”

I shut the door behind me. A club, eh? I had been clubbing very few times in my life. I had gone once, with Megan when i had arrived in London about 6 months prior. But since i was only 20, and the legal drinking age in the states was 21, i hadn’t had much experience. From past experience such as the few high school parties i had attended, I was what one might call a lightweight. I had never been able to handle my alcohol very well, and a club seemed like a kickstarter for a terrible headache.  But Megan rarely asked me to go out with her, so i figured i would go. Despite the fact that she was going to specifically take pictures, i knew she would take advantage of the opportunity at hand, and probably get shitfaced. It would be my job to hold the bag with the camera and help her stumble to a cab when the night was done.

I Stripped out of my jeans and sweater. Right before i changed into pajamas i took a good look at myself in the mirror. bleh. I was a few pounds over curvy, but i didn’t mind. I wished my boobs were smaller though. It always bugged my how girls constantly wanted bigger boobs, and were spending thousands on plastic surgery. I mean, as long as it made them happy i guess it was fine, but boobs were a nuisance. Sometimes they ate more than i did, and running was not my friend. I had shoulder length chocolate brown hair, and green eyes. I had high cheekbones, and a button nose but i suspected my looks were about average. Megan on the other hand was beautiful. He bright blue eyes complimented her black hair. She kind of reminded me of the girl i had seen on the train earlier that day, but Megan was paler, and gave off a more delicate aura.

 I turned around and turned my head to the side so i could see the mirror, and observed the black crescent moon mark in the very center of my back.

 


	3. Into the Unkown

Chapter 3:

****

“Nope,” I said, frantically shaking my head. “There is absolutely no way on heaven and earth that you will get me to go out in public like this. It just isn’t me. I need my sweatpants and flannel!”

I stared at myself in the mirror. The reflection staring back at me was one i didn’t recognize at all. My hair was messy and wavy, and my eyes were rimmed with black eyeliner. I had on a turquoise body cotton dress that emphasized my cleavage and curves in all the right places, and my heels had to be at least 4 inches tall.

“Why the hell not?” Megan questioned. “You look damn fine, thanks to me!”

“That’s not the problem,” I replied. “ I DO look nice, but this isn’t me at all. I’m giving off a false representation. I look like i’m about to walk up on a stage and work the pole.” I frowned. She shook her head and laughed.

“Come on, it’s only one night. It will be fine. I’ll protect you from all of the sexy men that want to take you home.”

I scoffed.

“I can tell you right now, that out of the two of us, you are the one who will be needing protection, and someone to watch YOUR back.”

She shrugged. “Either way!”

When we entered the club, it was very overwhelming. The music was so loud, i couldn’t hear myself think.  Megan grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd to a less crowded corner. She pulled the camera out of her bag, and began snapping pictures of people around us.

“ I wanna hurry and take these pictures, so i can have fun!” she squealed.  

“Wow,” I laughed, “I can tell you’re really concentrating on taking good pictures for your boss.”

“Hey,” She said, snapping photos as she spoke, “ I’m a natural photographer, they’ll be fine.” She handed me her camera.

“I’m going to get a drink, do you want one?” her bright eyes looked hopeful. I stood there for a moment, pondering. She made a puppydog face. “Come on, live a little!”  

I rolled my eyes. “Fine!”  

She giggled with excitement.

“I’ll be right back. Don’t drop that camera, or your life ends. But feel free to take pictures!” She smiled, and turned her back to me. She began walking towards the bar.

I stood in the corner awkwardly, trying to avoid eye contact with people. I had never been a social person, confrontation wasn’t really my thing. My head was already aching, along with my feet and we had barely been there for 10 minutes. I lifted the camera up to my face, and gazed into the lense. I observed the people around me and began snapping random pictures. There were so many people around me. They had an array of different marks. My favorite one i spotted so far was a man probably in his early thirties, with a black snake with an intricate silver design on it, wrapping itself down his arm.  Megan was taking forever, so i decided to make my way towards the bar to see if i could find her.

I had barely taken a step when someone or something, ran into me quite hard.  I immediately lost my balance (having 4 inch heels didn’t help), and i stumbled backwards, hitting the ground with a thud. I was honestly surprised i hadn’t taken anyone down with me because of the amount of people. But that wasn’t the worst of it. The camera went flying. It was like i was watching it in slow motion, and it flew up into the air, and came down with a crash. Even above the deafening music, I could hear the shatter of the camera as it hit the ground and went everywhere.

I laid there for a moment, completely in shock. Megan was going to KILL me, and i was going to KILL whoever had been stupid enough to run into me. I was so pissed, i couldn’t even think about what i was gonna say. Suddenly, a man kneeled before me. When i looked up at him, i was taken aback. I caught my breath. Even with a concerned look on his face, he was beautiful. He had these amazing sculpted cheekbones, with bright sea colored eyes. His short dark hair was curly, but pushed back and gel’d in a way that framed his features beautifully. He looked vaguely familiar. He didn’t have a mark that was anywhere i could see.

“Are you ok Darling?” He said loudly, over the music. Before i had time to respond, he grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. “Hurry, come with me,” He said. I stood there, too startled to say anything. He followed my eyes to where pieces of the camera lay, scattered on the ground. “Oh.. errr I’m so sorry about that, I’ll get you a new one i promise, but I’m in a bit of a situation right now, so come come!”  He looked around, a worried expression forming across his face, like he was deciding which direction to go. His brow furrowed.  “TOM!” I heard someone yell. His head snapped around towards where the sound came from, and with that, he pulled me through the crowd in the opposite direction.


	4. Adventure Calls!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken a while to update,  
> College is kicking my ass right now. Thanks for the patience.  
> I am gonna update more frequently, and it's gonna get interesting soon!  
> =]  
> ALSO, I realized google chrome doesn't capitalize the letter "I" so sorry about that..

4  
I was dazed, and had little idea of what was going on. I was pulled through the large crowd of people all the while pondering why i was following a strange man I didn’t even know. I stumbled over my own feet. It didn’t seem like the smartest of decisions, but my gut was telling me to go with it. I soon realized we were headed for a dark corner near the entrance to the club. We slipped past the bouncers, and I gazed at the people surrounding the entryway as we hurriedly walked past. They all seemed to be busy with their friends, but i received a few weird glares from select bystanders.   
The man let go of my hand, and turned to face me. I was awestruck by his beauty again. Jesus christ, looking at him made me flustered. It was a good thing i was somewhat out of breath already or i would have embarrassed myself. He stood there awkwardly for a moment before he started laughing. I was slightly taken aback.  
“What are you laughing at?” I asked. “Also, what am I going to tell my friend about the camera situation?” I frowned as all of my questions came pouring out of my mouth. Why couldn’t i hold myself together? I felt so awkward, and probably looked like an idiot, but i had so many questions.  
“Woah woah, slow down sister,” he said still chuckling. “First things first, are you ok?”  
I nodded, slowly.   
Those are literally the only words we were able to exchange before i was violently pushed. Again. This time, however, it was by a man with a camera, followed by ten other men with cameras. In the blink of an eye, I was surrounded by people. Where had they all come from? it’s like they had appeared out of thin air. Moments ago, i had been in the middle of a somewhat- conversation and suddenly i was overwhelmed. But none of them even seemed to notice I was there. Whatever the man was trying to run away from, he obviously wasn’t succeeding. The sudden wave of people caused me to lose sight of the him, and I took my chance to slip off my heels and leave while I still could.  
\---

“What?!” Megan exclaimed as i calmly ran over the story with her once again. I bounced upward as the cab moved over a speed bump. “That has got to be the worst excuse I’ve ever heard. But oddly enough I believe you.” She paused. “Did you get a name? a phonenumber? anything? Who was he running away from? Paparazzi? Do you think he was famous? Do you remember what he looked like? Help me out! That was an expensive piece of equipment. I’m not even that worried about the pictures. I snapped a few with my phone just in case anything happened. I want whomever that was to replace it”.  
“I’m sorry,” I said for the 500th time. “He looked vaguely familiar. He could be a celebrity, it wouldn’t surprise me in a place like that. He was just extremely good looking. I felt like a baby eyeing a piece of candy. I probably embarrassed myself. It was the weirdest thing that’s ever happened. And won’t your boss be able to tell the difference between pictures that were taken on an expensive camera, and shitty phone quality photos?”   
Megan shrugged. “Hey, it will look vintage.”  
I scoffed, but she took no notice. I doubted her boss would agree, but i was hoping for the best. If she got fired, i would never let it go. It was all my fault. Well, technically it wasn’t, but still. We sat in silence for the rest of the cab ride home. One of the many things i admired about Megan, was the way she handled frustrating situations. Unlike myself, who blew off the handle at the slightest notion of anything going wrong, she always kept herself together, and her head up. I sighed, and stared out the window into the night. Well, morning. We sat in silence for the rest of the cab ride home.  
When i awoke the next morning, Megan had already left for work. I meandered around the flat, putting on Calvin Harris Pandora, and making my way over to the keurig coffee maker. To my dismay, we were out of coffee pods. I cursed under my breathe. My hangover was like a dark storm cloud lingering over my head, and i needed coffee. I was ready to go within ten minutes. I put on a small amount of mascara, threw my hair in a bun, and slipped on some yoga pants. I figured i wouldn’t be gone that long. Just a quick run to the nearest coffee shop, and i would be back in no time.  
Never had i been so wrong.


	5. Coffee Time

Not surprisingly it was a little chilly and overcast outside. The smell of gasoline, rain, and food, filled my nose. I loved the smell of the city. I had grown up in Oregon, about 50 miles outside of Portland in the Cascade Mountains. Whenever we went to the city, whether it be to shop, or go to a movie, I was so drawn to it. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the outdoors. I loved hiking deep into the woods, and pretending I was the only one there. It was so peaceful. I loved the smell of pine trees, and the sound of waterfalls and birds chirping. But in my heart, I knew I was a city girl.   
I trudged along, my headache growing more painful. I was so tired of headaches. I popped a tylenol in my mouth, and continued walking. My mobile began ringing.  
“Hello?” I answered  
“Mick. Hey! I just wanted to let you know that I didn’t get fired. Thank God. I don’t know what would have happened if i did. I probably would have had a mental breakdown! And how would we pay rent? Gosh I’m so lucky I’m on her good side. Judith (Megans Boss) Was actually pretty understanding. She just told me i needed to replace it, but other than that it’s ok.” Megans’ cheerful voice babbled on, seeming relieved.  
I was about to reply, but I stopped dead in my tracks. My mouth dropped. Up ahead, through the bustling London Crowd, I caught sight of a billboard. And whose picture was on the billboard? None other than the man from the club. I picked up my pace.   
“Uhm, Megan, I’m gonna have to call you back. You’re gonna love this.” I hung up the phone. Seconds later, I received a text message that read, "I can see you’re thankful i didn’t get fired. -.-"  
When i got closer to the billboard, I snapped a picture. It was for Thor: The Dark World. I sent it to Megan with the caption, THAT’S THE GUY!!   
My mind was racing. That HAD to be him. Besides the hair, and the pale skin, the eyes and poignant cheek bones were identical to the man. I quickly googled to see who the actors were in the movie, and the second picture to pop up was the man from the club. The caption read Tom Hiddleston. If that was really him, which obviously it had to be, he could probably afford to buy me thousands of new cameras. I sighed. I would probably never see him again anyway, but it was cool i had met him. This new information did explain a lot of things though. Such as why he had been running away, and all of the paparazzi that were following him.   
Moments later, my phone rang again.   
“WHAT?!?!” I flinched away from the speaker as Megan screamed in my ear. Her harsh voice made my head throb.  
“Yep, that’s 100 % him, I spoke.  
“ You met Tom Hiddleston???? You lucky Bitch. Do you know what I would give to have met him? He’s so freaking beautiful, I want his babies.”  
I laughed. “ Oh My God, Please tell me how you really feel.”   
All of a sudden I heard an irritated voice coming from the other end of the phone. “Uh oh, Judith has some stuff i have to do ASAP. I have to go. We will talk more later. You lucky bum.” and with that she hung up.  
I smiled to myself. Even If i hadn’t known who he was at the time, I had met a celebrity. and a cute one at that. I wondered what had happened to him once the press caught up with him. A life like that seemed so stressful. Never having any privacy.   
When i entered the coffee shop, there weren’t very many people inside. Bon Iver was softly playing in the background, and the strong coffee scent immediately cleared my sinuses. I ordered my drink, and it was only when the barista rang up my total i realized i had forgotten my wallet. I groaned in frustration. This day was already starting off terribly. I was about to apologize and tell her to forget my order, when a familiar british man voice spoke from behind me.  
“I got it,” it said. I turned around. And there was the man of the hour. Mr. Hiddleston. Dang nabbit, even his voice was sexy. I blushed. I wondered if he recognized me. The better question, I wondered if he knew I recognized him.   
“Uhm, t-thanks” I stuttered. He smiled.   
He handed the barista his card. By the way she batted her eyelashes at him, she obviously knew who he was. We waited for our coffee awkwardly.   
“Care to sit?” He asked me out of the blue.  
I nodded. I really could not believe this was happening. What were the chances? I was gonna have so much to tell Megan later.  
We sat next to the window at a small wooden table.   
“Tom.” He stuck out his hand. I took it, and shook it. “ I’m Mick.”  
“Well, Mick. I’m very sorry about your camera. I was in a bit of a predicament last night.” So he did remember. I blushed. I suddenly wished i had put a bit more effort into my appearance before leaving the flat. I probably looked terribly ragged.  
“So you remember me?” I questioned.   
“ Of course. I thought it was you when I saw you walk in, but I wasn’t sure. Your American accent confirmed my suspicion.”  
“Oh.” I smiled. “Sorry I ran off last night without introducing myself.. I got kind of overwhelmed. Although, I definitely considered snagging one of those cameras from the paparazzi and making a run for it. It probably would have been way better than the other one.” I shrugged and smiled.  
He Laughed. It was cute. It sounded exactly how you would type out “ehehehehehe.”   
“I don’t think you would have made it very far in those heels.”  
“Don’t underestimate the power of a woman who is trying to make a getaway with something expensive,” I smirked.   
We chatted for a bit about how I had come to London to study abroad. I talked about how clubs weren’t really my scene, and about how Megan has dragged me there the night before, although i didn’t regret it because it turned out to be an interesting experience. Minus the camera part. He was surprisingly easy to talk to. It wasn’t awkward or anything. I decided it was time to learn a little bit more about him.  
“So how do you feel, about walking by a giant billboard in central London with your own face on it?” I questioned.  
“So you know who I am then,” he chuckled.  
I paused. “To be quite honest, I didn’t until i saw that billboard this morning. Then i connected the dots.”  
“Well,” he began. “It’s a bit unnerving. I’m still not used to this whole fame thing.” He flashed that incredible smile again. I nodded. After a few more minutes of small talk he looked at his watch.  
“Unfortunately, Mick, I have to go. But it was nice to officially meet you. And i’m proud to say i didn’t knock you over this time.”  
“Thank you for the coffee, and it was nice to meet you too!” I replied.   
He grabbed a napkin and scribbled down a phone number on it. “This is my agents number. Why don’t you give him a call sometime and you can give him the details of what kind of camera I destroyed, so i can get that shipped out to you?”  
My heart sank. It was his Agents number. Not his. Did that mean he didn’t want to talk to me again? I mentally kicked myself. Of course he didn’t. He was a celebrity, and I was a nobody. He was polite to buy my coffee and replace the camera and i shouldn’t have expected anything more.  
“ I meekly nodded.”  
“Oh!” He reached into his wallet, and took out a business card. He handed it to me. It had his name and phone number on it. “And call this number if you ever want to go out for dinner possibly? You seem interesting and I would like to get to know you better.”  
I couldn’t hide the giant grin that slid across my face.


	6. Klutz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken so long to update. I'm not really sure where I'm going with this story yet. I have some ideas, but i really need to make a more clear outline for myself!  
> tumblr: british-boy-bum.tumblr.com  
> And I promise More Tom and smut will come soon. =]

I could have done a happy dance. We said our goodbyes, and as soon as Tom and the Coffee shop were out of sight, I let out a sigh. Had that all just really happened? What were the chances. I slipped the two phone numbers into the pocket of my sweatshirt, and continued home replaying the events that had just taken place. The wind began to pick up speed, and i could feel raindrops begin to descend. As i approached the street where my flat was, a gust of wind so strong hit me, i thought i was gonna blow away. As i rounded the next corner, slipping my hood up, I came to an abrupt hault. Up ahead, I could see protesters holding up signs. As I got closer, i could make out what a few of them said. They read;  
“ Make due without marks!” and, “We want our rights!”  
I had never seen this many protestors before. I guess the issue of marks were getting more serious. Maybe it was the generation i had grown up in, or how my parents had raised me, but i had never really thought of marks as a big deal. I had seen on the news a few times that people were trying to get a law passed that enabled them to have their marks removed, either at birth or later in life. This would also allow parents to make the decision on whether or not they wanted to have a mark removed on their newborn child. I guess they didn’t want their children going through life with a preconceived notion that they had to find and had to be with the person that shared their same mark. But that was the thing i didn’t understand. Nobody was forcing anyone to be with anyone. If you met your supposed soulmate, you met them. If you didn’t, you didn’t. I didn’t really have a strong opinion on the subject though. I would never remove my mark. I liked it. It made me unique. But if people wanted to get theirs removed, to each his own. Why should people not be able to what they want with their bodies?  
I scurried into my flat, and threw the keys down on the counter. I plopped down on the couch, turning on the TV. I wondered if there would be anything on the news about it. Sure enough, as i flipped to the news channel pictures of people protesting popped up on the screen. I turned up the volume and heard what the news reporter had to say..  
“.. and the groups of protesters seem to be getting larger. Police are telling us there is nothing to worry about and that protesters are non violent, but we’ve just gotten a report that a young women was mugged earlier today. The vigilantes took her purse, and cut her mark out of her skin. Thank goodness she had a small mark or….” I turned the TV off. Cut her mark out of her skin. I shuddered. People were taking this much more seriously than i thought. I picked up my phone, and dialed Megan's number. No answer. I shot her a quick txt that read, “Be careful. there’s some crazy shit going on today. don’t get mugged please :)”  
It was then that I remembered, I needed to call Toms assistant person and get a new camera ordered. I reached into my pocket to grab the piece of paper, and it wasn’t there. My heart stopped. I frantically dug through my sweatshirt pocket, hoping to feel a piece of paper slip in between my grasp, but nothing. I took it off and turned it inside out, searching. Still nothing. The only solution was that the wind must have blown the numbers out of my pocket before I had reached my flat. That meant two bad things. One, I wouldn’t be able to get a new camera and i would have to pay for it myself, and two, I wouldn’t be able to reach Tom ever again. I silently cursed myself for not putting the numbers in a more secure place, like my bra. I wasn’t sure this issue would arise, but if the wrong person got their hands on that card, I would be responsible for outing Tom Hiddleston's phone number. Ugh. I was so angry with myself. I took a few deep breaths, and walked into my room. I flung myself onto my bed and buried my head in my pillow. “Relax Mick,” I thought to myself. “It obviously wasn’t meant to be.”  
\---  
I awoke to the sound of Megan’s voice, humming away in the kitchen. I look at the clock beside my bed. I had slept nearly the entire day away. I sat up groggily and slipped a shirt on, still half naked from the whole missing phone number episode earlier. It smelled like Megan was baking something. My stomach rumbled. I quietly tiptoed towards the kitchen.  
“Did you get my text message?” I asked  
She jumped. “Jesus christ you scared the crap out of me! And yes I did. They were still out there when I came home. The protesters I mean. No Muggers or people who wanted to cut my skin off.” She smirked.  
“It’s not funny.” I replied. “It’s getting more serious out in the world.”  
Megan lifted an eyebrow. “Yeah I know. I was actually looking at apartments more in the center of London. I know it would be a little more expensive, but it hink it would be good if we got away from this part of town for a while. Plus, we wouldn't have to commute so far in the mornings and evenings. I don't want to be out alone in the dark with all the crazies." I nodded in agreement. Moving would be good. I would be willing to put in the extra money if it meant we were safer and having a shorter commute would be nice. That night as lay in bed trying to sleep, thoughts swarmed my mind. It wasn't a huge deal that I had lost the phone numbers for Tom and his agent, but i couldn't help feel disappointed. It was also an inconvenience because now i would have to buy a new camera myself. I thought of the way Tom smiled when he spoke, and that made me smile. Slowly but surely, i drifted off to sleep. I hoped he would have a nice life.


	7. second chances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update, I had to really think about where this story was going. Also, i edited the previous chapter, and changed a few things around so be sure to go re read the last bit. Otherwise this chapter might not make sense haha. =] If you have any suggestions please comment and let me know :D

Two weeks Later, and Megan and I were all moved in to our new flat.   
“If I ever have to pack and unpack another box again, it will be too soon” Megan said as she flung herself onto the couch. It was almost 10am, and we had finally finished unpacking everything. I already liked our new place better. It had a nicer view, it was more spacious, and in a better part of the city. It was also closer to a number of coffee shops which I had been going to a lot lately. Mainly just to find a cozy spot to read without being bombarded with questions or gossip every five seconds. I loved Megan, but sometimes it could be a little much. Even though it had been two weeks since my encounter with Tom, I still wasn’t over the fact I lost his phone number. And neither was Megan. Every two seconds it was,  
“Too bad you lost Tom fucking Hiddleston’s phone number, you might be on a hot date right now instead of sitting at home alone,” or, “ Let’s go to the nearest dumb and scrounge through every piece of paper until we find the numbers!” It was driving me bananas.   
“I’m going to go get some coffee and read for a bit, do you want anything?” I questioned. She gave me a quizzical look.  
“You know I prefer my tea, so no. But thank you for offering. I have some work to do, so I’ll be here when you get back.” She smiled.  
I gathered my things and headed out. I debated on which coffee shop to go to, finally deciding on the one that I had been to two weeks ago when I had officially met Tom. It was a nice walk, I would seriously never get tired of that city smell. When I arrived, I ordered my latte, and sat on a small couch next to the window.   
It was about an hour later, and I was engulfed in Lord of The Rings when a familiar sounding voice caught my attention.  
“I’ll have a vanilla Latte, Thanks.”   
No, I thought to myself. There is absolutely No way that could be the voice I thought it was. Slowly, I peeled my eyes away from the page of my book and gazed at the small crowd. My eyes locked on my target. Surely enough, it was Tom, in the flesh. Jesus Christ. Most people waited their entire lives to meet a celebrity once, and here I was running into the same one 3 times within the same month. He stood tall and confidently next to the coffee bar, gazing out the window. He had a friendly peaceful look on his face, as though he didn’t have a car in the world, but in a good way. Suddenly he was approached by a girl, maybe 13 or 14. They took a picture together and she walked away, with a smile plastered on her face. My eyes lingered on him. The shirt he was wearing fit his body perfectly. He did have a very fit body. He was lean and muscular, but not in a bulky sort of way. And that jawline. I needed to stop ogling over his beauty before I started drooling. Keep yourself together Mick, I thought to myself. Before I could look away, his beautiful green eyes made contact with mine. I wondered If he remembered me, but the look in his eyes told me he knew exactly who I was. I gave an awkward wave. He smiled. He grabbed his coffee from the barista and began walking towards me. I had no idea what I was going to do or say. I was already flushed before he had even made his way over to me.  
“Is this seat taken?” He asked politely, gesturing towards the empty cough space next to me. I shook my head, and he sat. He opened his mouth to say something, but I interrupted.   
“Before you say anything,” I began, “I just want you to know I never got a chance to call you or Luke because I lost the pieces of paper that had the phone numbers on it. It’s a lame excuse I know, but I don’t want you to think I was blowing you off.”  
He nodded, and smirked.  
“I’ve heard worse excuses,” He said in that sexy accent of his.  
I was in awe. What woman in their right mind would make up an excuse not to go out with this man? He seemed nice, and polite, and definitely fit the handsome card. I let out a snort of laughter.  
“What?” He asked  
I shook my head and smiled. “Nothing.”  
He nodded towards my book. “Lord of the rings eh? I haven’t read it. I read the Hobbit though. Love the films. I never get tired of them.” He scooted a noticeable amount closer to me, and I tensed. I could feel my face turning red. I felt a flutter of anxiousness build up inside me.   
“They’re my favorite movies,” I replied. “I kind of grew up with them. This is the first time I’ve read the books though. I read the hobbit when I was younger as well.”  
I closed the book, and looked up at him. “What’s your favorite shakespeare novel?” I asked.  
“Please don’t ask me that,” he laughed. “I have no idea. They’re all so wonderful.”  
This time, I made a bold move and scooted a little closer to him. I don’t know what was getting into me. Here I was, a naive 20 year old american girl with no relationship and barely any guy experience, nearly throwing myself at this man. He seemed to notice, because this time he was the one who tensed. he chuckled.  
“Ok Ok.” I have another question though.  
“Oh?” He questioned  
I nodded. “Can i have your number again?”  
This made him burst out laughing. Maybe i shouldn’t have been so upfront, but it was too late now.  
“Of course you can darling, I wasn’t kidding when I said I wanted to get to know you more. And you’re beautiful.” I blushed, and smiled.  
“Thanks.”  
“You’re most welcome.” We sat there in awkward silence for a minute, before he continued. “Can i be honest?” He asked.  
“Of course,” I said.  
“I’ve been popping in here every now and again to see if you’re here. I wanted to know why you blew me off. I mean now i know you didn’t, but I’m glad i ran into you so i could have closure.”  
I sat there for a moment. taking in what he said. He had tried to find me? I was flattered. I didn’t think he meant it in a stalker-ish way. After all, i hadn’t stopped thinking about him for the past two weeks, either.  
“I’m glad we bumped into each other,” I smiled.   
I looked at my watch. It was getting late, and I had some things to do to finish up the organization of the flat.  
“I don’t mean to rush out on you, but I actually do have to go,” I said.  
“Do you have a pen?” He asked. I reached into my bag, and pulled out a black pen.  
Suddenly he grabbed my hand, and a rush of desire hit me. I hope he didn't notice. He began writing a number down on it.  
“This way I know you won’t lose it.”  
I giggled.  
“Good idea.”  
I wrote my number down on a sticky note and handed it to him, just in case.  
I stood up, and made my way out of the coffee shop for the second time in the past month. I was the luckiest girl alive. 

 

\---

 

Three days and one phone call later, I was getting ready for my first date with Tom. When I asked him where we were going, he had told me it was a surprise, but that it would be a dressy occasion. Of course Megan had been more than happy to go shopping with me. I was glad I had her there to console me, and she had better taste in clothes anyway. I had tried on loads of different dresses, one of which has been a stunning, black, floor length, open back dress that framed my tattoo perfectly.  
“That’s the one!” Megan squealed.  
“No,” I reciprocated.  
Her face fell. “Why the hell not?”  
“Because! I don’t want to show off my tattoo yet. That’s like shoving it in his face that we don’t have matching tattoos and that we ‘aren’t supposed to be together’. I don’t know how he feels about that subject, and I don’t want to make anything awkward.”  
“Babes, I really don’t think he cares about the whole mark thing. If he did, do you think he would have asked you out? People who are really concerned with that type of thing tend to be reserved and only ask other people out if they are 100% sure they’re the one.”  
She had a point, but I still didn’t want to take that risk. I didn’t want to make him or myself uncomfortable at any time. I had finally decided on a floor length, form fitting silver dress that had an a line cut. It was flattering in all the right places. My hair was wavy, and I was wearing a nude lip with a dark brown smokey eye. I was also wearing a necklace. It was a tiny silver moon on a very thin silver chain. The moon sat right about my cleavage. I was beginning to get anxious, yet I had never been this excited in my entire life. I was about to embark on a date with Tom Hiddleston.   
A few minutes later a knock on the door made me jump, and my heart fluttered. I opened the door to see Tom staring there. His eyes took me in.  
“You look stunning,” he said.  
But I barely heard him. I was too busy checking him out. I didn’t even care if i was obvious. His tuxedo was tailored perfectly for his frame.He stood several inches above me despite my heels. He smelled amazing. And that jawline. Everything about him, actually.   
“You clean up pretty well yourself!” I said, smiling.  
“Ready?” He asked, holding out his arm. I took it without hesitating.  
“Definitely.”


End file.
